Social media had a lot to say about St. Louis County’s new flag yesterday, though most of the discourse wasn’t fit to print in this relatively genteel newsletter. You can read the backstory on its unveiling below. And for anyone complaining about the vaguely phallic, sideways-facing fleur de lis, can we agree that its predecessor was far less memorable?
Check out both the old and new flags in my online story and let me know if you agree.
And don’t miss Ryan Krull’s heartbreaking story about a prominent defense attorney on the other side of the courtroom as he advocated for a harsher sentence for his brother’s killer. The online version is well worth a read, all the way to the painful last line.
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John Christmas, left, was killed last June. His brother Jerryl, right, objected to his killer's plea deal. Courtesy of Jerryl Christmas
THIS JUST IN
Defense attorney says prosecutors were too lenient to his brother’s killer
A prominent defense attorney made an unusual argument in court yesterday: That the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office had given a “sweetheart deal” to a killer.
Attorney Jerryl Christmas often seeks deals for his clients. But yesterday, he was in court to oppose one. His brother John was killed in a North City convenience store last June. The man accused of killing him, Trevell Warren, stood to get just seven years in prison under a deal with prosecutors.
“What kind of message are you sending with this?” Christmas asked Circuit Court Judge Katherine Fowler, asking her to reject it. Over the course of an emotional hour-long hearing, he answered his own question, saying in effect: As long as you’re killing people in North City, you’ll get a light sentence. Just don’t kill anyone south of Delmar.
Fowler said she was sympathetic to Christmas and his family, but ultimately said the “state has a different view of this evidence” and that even if she asked them to reconsider, she didn’t think they’d come back with any other recommendation. She accepted the seven-year deal. —Ryan Krull
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page introduced a new flag at yesterday's State of the County speech. Screenshot
DEEP DIVE
Page unveils new flag, salutes unsung heroes
St. Louis County has a new flag. That was the big revelation at County Executive Sam Page’s annual State of the County speech at the Touhill Center yesterday. Although the heart of the speech was a much different, and inarguably more important, matter, the flag is the part people are talking about.
Designed to pair with the “Opportunity Central” branding the county rolled out a year ago, the flag was informed by town halls where the community weighed in. “The process took the better part of the year, and the common themes we heard from residents is that they wanted to see something that incorporates nature and unity while being contemporary, timeless and pointing to the future,” Page explained. Artists José Garza and Hayveyah McGowan, both in residence at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, took things from there, producing a “reimagined fleur de lis that only points forward,” Page said, with crisp white and hot pink on a blue background.
The bulk of Page's speech focused on the quotidian work of county government—which, Page pointed out, is bigger than some small states. Page gave short profiles of staffers working to do everything from house people to retain records. Perhaps the most winning anecdote involved Michael Christ, of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, who showed up for snow plow duty in January just hours after being released from the hospital. Christ reportedly shrugged off recognition for his dedication, saying, “I feel like a big kid playing with a Tonka truck when I'm out there clearing the streets of snow.”
Why It Matters: As Donald Trump has declared war on what he’s portrayed as a bloated federal workforce, the examples shared by Page show the myriad ways that residents rely on government, even when they don’t realize it. (Although it is perhaps worth mentioning that a rebranding campaign for a government agency, complete with mini flags for attendees at a county speech, is exactly the sort of expense DOGE would pillory.)
What’s Next: Page never explicitly connected the dots on the good work done by government employees and recent news from Washington. But he did encourage out-of-work federal employees to get in touch. “Know that we support and appreciate the work you’re doing,” he told them, suggesting that job opportunities with the county would be on tap. —S.F.
Sip, savor, and celebrate this spring at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis
Make memories this spring with the luxurious Bubbles & Blooms Afternoon Tea, celebrate Easter at brunch with the bunny, or enjoy a staycation and take advantage of seasonal spa specials.
Critics say utility bill making its way through the Missouri legislature could trigger big rate increases (STLPR): Consumer advocates say SB4 will affect electricity, natural gas, water, sewage, and telecommunications, and even though it’s 133 pages, it’s moving quickly.
MoDOT plans $1.7B in work this year (KMOV): Work on I-55 continues, joined by a roster of other roads and bridges slated for improvement and expansion.
Center for Bosnian Studies moves to Saint Louis University (Spectrum News): The Jesuit university takes over the collection before Fontbonne University's closure later this summer.
The hottest accessory at the World Agritech Innovation Summit? A St. Louis scarf. Courtesy Greater St. Louis Inc.
Around Town
🧱 CITY LIVING
Three years after the city closed down its North City jail, the Medium Security Institute (better known as the Workhouse), the building is finally getting knocked down. City Hall has confirmed that next Tuesday, the demolition process will begin with the razing of the entryway that has the institution's name written above it in big capital letters. The demolition was supposed to occur a few months ago but was delayed for environmental reasons. The city has yet to decide what to do with the 30 acres; proposals put forth have included space for an animal shelter and tiny homes for the unhoused. The city’s tow lot occupies a portion of the space, but otherwise the only use the mothballed jail has seen comes from urban explorers who, ignoring the “no trespassing” signs, break in from time and time and post of their exploits among the ruins online. —R.K.
👀 EYES OF THE NATION
San Francisco might see a minor outbreak of St. Louis flag scarves this week. The two-day World Agritech Innovation Summit is underway, and the St. Louis delegation has a booth at which any conferencegoer who explains how they’re “STLMade” (that is, have been educated or employed here) can get a free scarf. This could result in hundreds of giveaways: Emily Lohse-Busch, executive director of the plant science innovation district 39 North, reports hearing the estimate that roughly 30 percent of the 2,500 or so attendees have had some career nexus with St. Louis. The delegation’s goals, Lohse-Busch says, are to help St. Louis-based companies shine on an international stage and also to plant seeds with attendees who might be considering relocating, so that if they visit or follow up, someone in St. Louis can serve as a point of contact. “The message this year,” she says, “is that you don’t realize how much of what’s changing the face of agtech is happening right there in St. Louis.” Full story online. —Nicholas Phillips
🧳 THE TOURISM SCENE
Ste. Geneviève wants to let people know it’s worthy of a visit—and there’s more to explore than you’ve realized. An hour and a half’s drive south of St. Louis, the town is famously home to the nation’s largest collection of vertical log structures, a style of French colonial architecture dating back to the 1730s and all but vanished elsewhere in the U.S. Now a new branding campaign emphasizes that there’s much more than that. Tourism marketing director Aaron Smith tells SLM’s Charlene Oldham that the goal is to attract history buffs, architecture and design enthusiasts, and tourists of all types. “There are these people who grew up here saying, ‘Well, we went to these historic homes back in third grade and they weren’t that interesting.’ So there is this disconnect that we need to find a bridge for and I think this rebranding exercise is exactly what we need,” says Smith. Ste. Geneviève’s new slogan, “There’s something special here,” seeks to highlight a multi-day destination with wineries, hiking trails in and around Hawn State State Park, a large waterpark, and events that include, this Saturday, the Living in Ste. Geneviève House Tour. Says Smith, “I think there’s a real opportunity to be a national and international destination. More in our online story. —S.F.
